‘Sorry if I underplayed his achievements’ - Former UFC champ sends apology to Islam Makhachev after facing criticism for review of Alex Volkanovski KO

Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski faced off at UFC 294 last month, with the lightweight champion once again defending his belt against 'The Great'.

Their clash in Abu Dhabi came on 11 days' notice, following Charles Oliveira's withdrawal due to injury, and was a much-anticipated rematch of their UFC Perth clash in February.

But unlike their competitive clash in Australia, Islam Makhachev definitively ended their rivalry with a head-kick KO in Round 1. The Dagestani proved himself to be more than an elite Sambo grappler, something he had been preaching for several years.

Following the bout, former UFC champion Robert Whittaker broke down the result of UFC 294's main event on YouTube. 'The Reaper' noted that following several grappling sequences, Volkanovski appeared to slow down due to fatigue.

Fans online took issue with his assessment of the fight, believing that Whittaker pointed to the featherweight champion's potential fatigue as the reason he was finished so early.

During the most recent episode of the MMArcade Podcast, Robert Whittaker issued an apology to Islam Makhachev more than his fans for any misunderstanding, saying this:

"I'm sorry if I underplayed Makhachev's achievements in beating Volk the way he did. That what not what I intended to do. Even if that's how I made it sound, I'm sorry for that. But not really to you guys, but to him."

Watch the video below from 0:58:

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Alex Volkanovski's teammate says Islam Makhachev 'might have broken his leg' after head kick KO

Islam Makhachev took on Alexander Volkanovski in an epic short-notice rematch at UFC 294 after Charles Oliveira suffered a nasty cut above his eye in training prior to flying to Abu Dhabi.

Given the close nature of their first fight, at UFC Perth, fans expected a competitive bout. But the lightweight champion stunned fans when he finished Volkanovski in the first round via a head kick.

Makhachev handed 'The Great' his first stoppage defeat in the UFC, and announced himself to the combat sports world as the rightful heir to the lightweight throne.

Following UFC 294, Alexander Volkanovski's teammate, Craig Jones, revealed that Islam Makhachev may have suffered severe damage to his leg after landing the head kick KO.

He said this:

"He was actually limping on his leg. I think he might've broken his leg or something when he kicked Volk's head... His leg looked quite injured, so I said to Volk, 'Man if you ate that, you had [the fight] in the bag, he had a broken leg.' You know what I mean."

Watch the video below from 26:35: